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Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

At forty, Vincent “Vinnie” Fierro is still afraid to admit he might be gay—even to himself. It’ll be a problem for his big, fat Italian family. Still, after three failed marriages, it’s getting harder to ignore what he really wants.

Vinnie attempts some self-exploration in Chicago’s Boystown bars, far from anyone who knows him. Naturally, he runs smack into someone from the neighborhood.

Between working two jobs, going to school, taking care of his grandmother, and dealing with his mother’s ongoing substance abuse, Trey Giles has little time for fun, let alone dating someone who swears he’s straight. Yet after one night of dancing cheek-to-cheek, Trey agrees to let Vinnie court him and see if he truly belongs on this side of the fence—though Trey intends to keep his virginity intact.

It seems like a solid plan, but nothing is simple when family is involved. When Vinnie’s family finds out about their relationship, the situation is sticky enough, but when Trey’s mother goes critical, Vinnie and Trey must decide whose happiness is most important—their families’ or their own.

This was my first read of this book, and I”m shocked that I haven’t read it before. I really enjoyed this story. I love the setting, the family, the people in it, and Trey & Vince. This was realistically done! Love the big families, and how the family trope was done so well. Cullinan and Sexton need to write more books together if this is what came out!

Vince is 40 years old, and now accepting that he’s gay. Not only has he been married 3 times to women, but his greatest fear is being without his big Italian Family. With only his sister being his support system he ventures out into the world to see what being gay can offer him. Trey is gay, but school and his family is what is most important to him right now. He can’t think about being in a relationship while dealing with his mom’s alcoholism, being the breadwinner in his family, and oh yeah he’s a virgin. Not because he is a prude or something. He just wants it to mean something. Trey & Vinnie know each other, living in the same neighborhood, and being Italian of course they know one another.

Loved how patient Trey was with Vinnie. They both have personal things going on within themselves that they try letting it stay in the background to see where this No-Sex rule goes between the both of them. Vinnie is hard case to crack sometimes, but he’s interested in Trey. He’s a gentleman, and shows a side of dating to Trey that Trey hasn’t seen before. Trey can offer Vinnie things and views on being Gay. What it means to fall for the same sex. This was a learning experience for both guys. It was extremely sweet at times, and other times extremely vulnerable.

I laughed, had some tears, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m so happy I decided to read this. I wish it was a follow-up seeing as its a second edition being published and its had years being out. I would have liked to a “Where are they now?”, moment from the authors. No matter, because I’m happy and I definitely recommend this.

About Heidi Cullinan

Heidi grew up in love with story. She fell asleep listening to Disney long-playing records and read her Little House On The Prairie books until they fell apart. She ran through the woods inventing stories of witches and fairies and enchanted trees and spent hours beneath the lilac bush imagining the lives of the settlers who had inhabited the homestead log cabin and two-story late 1800s home on her family farm. She created epic storylines for her Barbies until it wasn’t satisfying enough to do so any longer (age ten), and then she started writing them down. Her first novel, The Life and Times of Michelle Matthews, was published when she was twelve in the school anthology and took up nearly half of it.

Though Heidi continued to write novels through high school (and still has the Rubbermaid tub full in her bedroom), she stopped in college, deciding it was time to grow up and do something meaningful with her life. When the specifics of that didn’t pan out, Heidi ended up in grad school to become a teacher, and through one of the courses rediscovered her love of romance novels. She began to write again on the side, continued to do so while she taught seventh grade language arts and reading, and when she quit teaching to have her daughter, she took up writing with more seriousness, both as a stress relief and as a potential means of bringing in money.

Many million pages later, Heidi has learned a lot about writing, more than she ever wanted to know about publishing, and most importantly, finally figured out that writing IS the meaningful something she wants to do with her life. A passionate advocate for LGBT rights, Heidi volunteered for One Iowa during the fight for marriage equality and donates with her husband as a monthly partner to the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal. She encourages you to support your own local and national LGBT rights groups, too

Heidi enjoys reading, watching movies and TV with her family, and listening all kinds of music. She has a husband, a daughter, and too many cats. Heidi is an active social networker, and of course has good old-fashioned email.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Best friends since they were teenagers, Ward Kent and Dean Zimmerman work together at Reggie’s garage, where the reality show Wrench Wars is filmed. Outside of work, Dean is a notorious player, and as far as he’s concerned, Ward’s the best wingman ever. Little does he know, Ward is much more interested in the gentlemen than the ladies.

Then Dean’s younger brother, Ash, comes to work at the garage. Ash may be seven years younger, but he’s had a crush on Ward for years, and he’s not shy about going after what he wants.

Admitting his best friend and his brother are gay is one thing. Seeing them together? That’s a bit more than Dean can take, and he’s about to force Ward to make a decision: lose his best friend and his job, or give up Ash forever.

So this is the 4th book in the Wrench Wars series, and this is the one with Dean being a featured character. ARUGH!!!! I wanted to repeatedly punch him in this face. I mean, it’s almost like he got more screen time then Ward and Ash. C’mon we are all consenting adults, and Ash didn’t need a damn keeper. I enjoyed it for the most part, but was irritated throughout the entire story. It was seriously nerve-wrecking to see Ward & Ash have to pretend and sneak around for the sake of Dean finding out. I mean once everything was said and done, I was left thinking on why anyone wanted to be Dean’s best friend. That’s how much this story revolved around him.

Now onto Ward & Ash. I mean it was mutually hot. I did think Ash teased Ward a little bit to much. I mean he literally came in like a wrecking ball. Any semblance of restraint that Ward had was shredded when it came to Ash. I did like how they were able to realize they both wanted something more then just a hookup. I liked Ward as a character. He had such a softer side to him, and I think Ash was perfect for him. I would love to see them spend more time with each other. I mean if we took out ALL of Dean’s parts then maybe we could have connected more to these guys. Nonetheless I enjoyed it and think Sexton did a good job on the writing.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

When Brandon Kenner shows up at Kasey Ralston’s garage with a 1970 Chevelle SS 454, Kasey is smitten by both the man and his car. But Kasey is hiding an embarrassing secret: his love for old muscle cars goes beyond what most would consider normal. His unusual fetish has kept Kasey isolated—estranged from his family and even distant from his coworkers.

But when Brandon figures out the hot mechanic’s secret, he’s not repulsed. In fact, he finds Kasey intriguing, and he’s determined to have him for himself.

Everything about Brandon revs Kasey’s engine, and he’s more than willing to get down and dirty with the charming man. What worries Kasey is what will happen after. Is there any chance of a future for them? In the past, expecting anything long-term has only led to heartbreak. But Kasey can’t help hoping that, despite Kasey’s fetish, Brandon will be the exception.

First Edition published by Amber Allure, 2014.

ARGH!!!! I was well on my way of rating this 4 stars!!! It was surprisingly good for such a short book. I even had a moment of tears. I felt a little cheated. It’s a short book already but then you cut it off to get me an excerpt/first chapter of book one. I think not people!!! I want my car fetish porn.

All jokes aside, I really liked this. Introverted Kasey has a kinky side that no one knew about. Enter Brandon with his classic cars and swagger. I definitely loved the chemistry between the two. I thought both guys were disgustingly hot and would have loved to see this as a full length novel. With Kasey opening up and not wanting to be lonely anymore. FFS he’s 24 years old and Bandit seems to be his only companion. It’s sad when your dog is it for you, but his older brother the good one out of the bunch is reaching out to try to mend their broken relationship. I did enjoy seeing Kasey opening up about his family, and realizing that even if Brandon and him don’t work that his brother is ready to step up and be family.

Damn, these boys were super hot. I mean, they were some dirty talkers. Just the right amount of heat and fire for this length of novel. I thought the coupling was spot on, and that both guys were equally good for one another. Now I’m interested enough to go back and read book one. The covers are definitely gorgeous for this series.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Graham and his roping partner, Jackson, have been friends since they were boys. They’ve ruled the rodeo scene for ten years running, but lately, Graham’s heart isn’t in the game. He’s tired of the bruises, the cowboy mentality, and the animal rights activists who picket every event. He’s also tired of being in love with Jackson, and nothing’s been the same between them since their disastrous drunken encounter the year before.

Then Graham has a run-in with one of the rodeo protesters, and everything changes. Kaz is young, idealistic, and sexy as hell. But he’s also a know-it-all, animal-loving vegan, bent on saving the world one cow at a time. They have next to nothing in common, but Graham can’t stop thinking about what might happen if they can stop butting heads long enough to give it a try. Unfortunately, no matter how attracted Graham is to other men, he always panics and runs when the clothes start to come off. But Kaz has an idea for getting Graham past his nerves and into bed.

All they need is a bit of rope.

(Note: This is a re-edited second edition of a previously published title.)

So I enjoyed this one more then I expected. My only conniption is that it isn’t longer!!! I wish it was because I was enjoying the relationship between Graham and Kaz. Loved the age-gap between the two, even though it’s not specified to much. In my mind it’s a gradual thing. LOL. I hadn’t read the first edition of this book, and the cover is what drew me in. I like the idea of a roper and a protester getting together. These two had to navigate their real life and beliefs outside of sex. Sex was a keystone for both. They fit just right for each other, but outside the bedroom it was them being on two sides of the street.

Graham was dealing with his feelings of being gay. Admitting and acting on it. His only experience seems to come from his best friend/roping partner Jackson. Graham has basically been in love with him for the last ten years and when they do finally do something it scares him off and they’ve been in a awkward place ever since. Meeting Kaz was such a scary but invigorating experience for him. I really liked seeing them go head to head against each other. I like seeing both guys explain what they do and why it’s passionate for them. The D/s relationship was unexpected but I enjoyed it. I loved seeing the chemistry between the two. I know it was fast, but I definitely can see why they enjoyed each other. Graham can finally be free and be himself, and Kaz can be with someone. I enjoyed this alot, and wish it was a full length novel. Happy with what I got as well.

About L.A. Witt

L.A. Witt is an abnormal M/M romance writer who has finally been released from the purgatorial corn maze of Omaha, Nebraska, and now spends her time on the southwestern coast of Spain. In between wondering how she didn’t lose her mind in Omaha, she explores the country with her husband, several clairvoyant hamsters, and an ever-growing herd of rabid plot bunnies.

She also has substantially more time on her hands these days, as she has recruited a small army of mercenaries to search South America for her nemesis, romance author Lauren Gallagher, but don’t tell Lauren. And definitely don’t tell Lori A. Witt or Ann Gallagher. Neither of those twits can keep their mouths shut…

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

It’s 1986, and what should have been the greatest summer of Nate Bradford’s life goes sour when his parents suddenly divorce. Now, instead of spending his senior year in his hometown of Austin, Texas, he’s living with his father in Warren, Wyoming, population 2,833 (and Nate thinks that might be a generous estimate). There’s no swimming pool, no tennis team, no mall—not even any MTV. The entire school’s smaller than his graduating class back home, and in a town where the top teen pastimes are sex and drugs, Nate just doesn’t fit in.

Then Nate meets Cody Lawrence. Cody’s dirt-poor, from a broken family, and definitely lives on the wrong side of the tracks. Nate’s dad says Cody’s bad news. The other kids say he’s trash. But Nate knows Cody’s a good kid who’s been dealt a lousy hand. In fact, he’s beginning to think his feelings for Cody go beyond friendship.

Admitting he might be gay is hard enough, but between small-town prejudices and the growing AIDS epidemic dominating the headlines, a town like Warren, Wyoming, is no place for two young men to fall in love.

This is definitely one of my favorite covers of the year. I loved the cover model, and the way the script is written.
When I read the blurb I was all like yes this is for me!!! Then I started reading it and it’s YA. At first, I got mad or a little perturbed because YA isn’t my genre of choice, but since I have it I was going to read it. I’m super happy that I did read it. I enjoyed it. I loved the way the author gave us the authenticity of the time, the people, the events in the world and the clothes. I literally googled so many things. Hell I was born in June of 1987. So everything they were listening to was something I wasn’t familiar with. I’d like to say that the story was about two boys from different sides of the tracks who fell in love. It’s a little more then that. It’s Aids unfolding in their eyes and the worlds. Seeing Nate trying to get answers about Aids, or just reading about it at this time in the world was eye opening. Gay Men didn’t have any resources to find out about anything in Warren, Wyoming.

As far as the characters were written I think Cody & Nate were really well written characters. I loved Cody so much. He was so resilient about the things that were thrown at him. I hated how the freaking town treated him. It’s one thing to be poor, and yeah everyone gets social class and high school status. I understand that, but Cody didn’t do anything to anyone. He is content to be by himself in his last year of high school. In walks Nate with his mustang car, Texas drawl, upturn collar on his polo shirts and bright blonde hair. Nate stormed into his life, and made Cody want. He made Cody want things that he wasn’t sure he deserved or even if he could want it. I liked Nate as well. Nate wanted everyone to be, sure he was acclimating to a new town after having to move from Austin, Texas. Nate not being use to the small town, no MTV, small high school and complete boredom. I liked how their friendship came to be. They were trying to make due with what they had in the world.

No matter what year it is, it still is High School. I can say I never had bullying or outcast issues in high school. Every cliche thing you can find in high school it was here. I mean in a small town, how the hell is it still this many cliques? Well amongst all the douchebags there was Logan Robertson. He might be one of the best friends ever. The straight jock, most popular in high school and the town decided to befriend the outcast. I love Logan, and he is such a good thing to Cody’s spirit.

Both boys had to come to terms with their sexuality in different ways. I couldn’t wrap my mind around them having no one to talk to, and no one to relate to. It pulled at my heart strings to see them so alone with this subject. It was basically forced to come out after some bad things happened. Seeing both parent’s reaction to their son’s sexuality was so emotional. Cody’s mom hasn’t had the perfect life. She’s barely scraping by and has to do unsavory things, but the one thing she does is accept her son. I cried, and then Nate’s father put the icing on the cake. I think I respected him so much more when his first priority was to make sure his son was okay.

All in all, I think this was a such a good story. I liked the ending alot. I’m a little uncertain since I would say it’s a HFN. I would have liked to know what happens after Iowa. Or maybe Marie wanted us to be content with their finding their happiness.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Jason Walker is a child star turned teen heartthrob turned reluctant B-movie regular who’s sick of his failing career. So he gives up Hollywood for northern Idaho, far away from the press, the drama of LA, and the best friend he’s secretly been in love with for years.

There’s only one problem with his new life: a strange young man only he can see is haunting his guesthouse. Except Benjamin Ward isn’t a ghost. He’s a man caught out of time, trapped since the Civil War in a magical prison where he can only watch the lives of those around him. He’s also sweet, funny, and cute as hell, with an affinity for cheesy ’80s TV shows. And he’s thrilled to finally have someone to talk to.

But Jason quickly discovers that spending all his time with a man nobody else can see or hear isn’t without its problems—especially when the tabloids find him again and make him front-page news. The local sheriff thinks he’s on drugs, and his best friend thinks he’s crazy. But Jason knows he hasn’t lost his mind. Too bad he can’t say the same thing about his heart.

* * * * * * *

Twenty percent of the proceeds from this title will be donated to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) National Help Center.

Founded in 1996, the GLBT National Help Center is a non-profit organization that provides vital peer-support, community connections and resource information to people with questions regarding sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Utilizing a diverse group of GLBT volunteers, they operate two national hotlines, the GLBT National Hotline and the GLBT National Youth Talkline, as well as private, volunteer one-to-one online chat, that help both youth and adults with coming-out issues, safer-sex information, school bullying, family concerns, relationship problems and a lot more.

To learn more about this charity or to donate directly, please visit their website at glbthotline.org. (less)

I don’t think I’ve read a Marie Sexton book in close to two years! What is wrong with me? I thought this was going to be sugary sweet, I mean he’s stuck in a freaking snow globe. What’s the outcome to that? From what I can remember of her writing style this is pure Marie Sexton at her best. I remember falling in love with Between Sinners and Saints and thinking this was her finest work. I might be a little wrong. This was magical, whimsical, and loving.

Benjamin Robert Ward stole the show for me. His innocence, and chipper personality was spot on. He brought this loving free spirit to the story. Ben didn’t have a bad bone in his body. Jason is to freaking young to be cynical about life, I get why he is. Growing up as a child star is a lot to take on for anybody. I thought his reaction to Ben was spot on. I would have done the exact same thing in calling the police.

I was really worried about how this was going to work out, and I did not seeing this happening. I liked it alot. I really wish I could have gotten more in the epilogue. I truly thought they were a really good couple. Jason learned to love someone who loved his as well. I wanted to experience some of Ben’s first right along with them. His first soda, pizza, or an airplane. I think those few things could have given it a 5 star rating for me.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

When Jonathan Kechter agrees to a blind date with Cole Fenton, he expects nothing more than dinner and a one-night stand... but he gets more than he bargained for in Cole. Cole is arrogant, flamboyant, and definitely not Jon’s type. Still, when Cole suggests an arrangement of getting together for casual sex whenever they're both in town, Jon readily agrees.

Their arrangement may be casual, but Jonathan soon learns that when it comes to Cole Fenton, nothing is easy. Between Cole’s fear of intimacy and his wandering lifestyle, Jonathan wonders if their relationship may be doomed from the start—but the more Cole pushes him away, the more determined Jon is to make it work

What I really liked was that this book wasn’t as superficial as book 3. It gave us real insight to what drives Jonathan Kechter and Cole Fenton, and it was a pleasant surprise to see them in their own light, and not from Zach or Jared’s perspective.

Jon was an accountant trying to stay above water in a company struggling with economic woes. He just got back to Phoenix from a tense visit in Vegas, with his ex-Zach and Zach’s new love Angelo, Zach’s friend, Jared, and Jared. When Jared learned that Jon lived in Phoenix, he mentioned that he had a friend there and that his friend Cole would be a great match for Jon. Jared forwarded Jon’s information to Cole, who decided to ask Jon out.

Thus began a slow trot to love. In the beginning of the “relationship”, I kept thinking, what are these two doing? They don’t fit; they don’t seem to like each other that much because they keep trying to change the other person and their personalities seem to disconcert the other.

Then the walls slowly started to come down, and even though they were opposites, they seem to fit a need for the other. Jon was a workaholic, but Cole liked to take it easy. Cole loved to cook and pamper people, Jon loved to eat and receive the attention. They both longed to be accepted and belong to someone. Their lives began to mesh well and they formed a routine. But of course, Jon’s job decides to transfer him to another state. Though he gets to choose for a list, this transfer will affect his relationship with Cole. What should Jon do? What are his priorities?

What I loved most in this book was the out pouring of emotion when the barriers had come down. Both men were emotional with each other and I love the strength in that vulnerability. Unlike the last book that gave me whiplash, this book was primarily a 2-person POV, with Cole and Jon, as the main voices. I loved Jon’s father and his growth. He was a stellar secondary character. The hug he gave Cole after a particular meal gave me goosebumps.

This book redeemed the series for me because after The Letter Z, I was done. But now, my interest was reawakened and I am ready to continue with series.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.

Zach and Angelo have settled into their new lives in Coda, Colorado, finding their place in the community with the help of their good friends Matt and Jared. Zach and Angelo are also working out the particulars of their relationship, but when they make a decision Jared disagrees with, Angelo finds himself at odds with his partner's best friend. And his best friend's partner.

When the four decide on a quick trip to Vegas, Angelo thinks he and Jared may be back on the right track. But a chance encounter with Zach’s ex-boyfriend will make Angelo question everything about himself and his relationship with Zach. Matt and Jared have always been there when Zach and Angelo needed help. But when it comes to sorting out their relationship, their friends may do more harm than good.

Book 1: Promises
Book 2: A to Z

I didn’t enjoy this one. If I can be honest, I don’t enjoy the writing style as much as book 1. I like the narrator’s voice, but considering this book was written in a four person POV, the narrator didn’t even bother trying to differentiate the voices. I ended up rewinding a few times to see who was talking since it featured Zach & Angelo and Matt & Jared. My enjoyment of this series really plummeted with this book.

This book started with Zach giving Angelo a free pass to be with another man, with the agreement that Angelo come home to him afterwards. Considering how hard they fought to be together 4 months ago, I was surprised that Angelo would quickly jump at the opportunities.
The main problem that I had was that Angelo throws a conniption fit if someone looks sideways at Zach. It just seems hypocritical, and I was unsure of Zach’s true motivations for allowing the free pass. If I really got why, I might have been able to accept it more.
I completely with Jonathan’s assessment that it would appear that they had an open relationship, but it only works one way. I mean, Angelo is getting a handjob on a public dancefloor in front of Zach, but Angelo attacks Jonathan for kissing Zach. Can you say hypocrite?

I don’t think Jonathan owed Angelo an apology, maybe an explanation but Angelo didn’t even have the decency to offer Jonathan an apology and explanation back. Angelo was just a taker and Zach a doormat in this book, and I didn’t like it at all.

Jared and Matt have been together for a little over a year, but Matt talked about how going all the way felt wrong. I am confused. In the prior books it seemed like they couldn’t get enough, but Matt explains they do “other stuff”. I want to know if Matt is really gay because his feeling of guilt or that it doesn’t “feel right” should concern Jared.

I just don’t get these relationships. I know everyone has what works for them, but right now, neither couple’s interactions are working for me. I will try one more book in this series before I give it up.

About Marie Sexton

Marie Sexton lives in Colorado. She’s a fan of just about anything that involves muscular young men piling on top of each other. In particular, she loves the Denver Broncos and enjoys going to the games with her husband. Her imaginary friends often tag along. Marie has one daughter, two cats, and one dog, all of whom seem bent on destroying what remains of her sanity. She loves them anyway.